RELEASE
by Kellybug
Summary: Crystal Tokyo is established, all the Enemies have been vanquished.It is time for Chibiusa to be named as Heir to the Throne. Let the fireworks begin! An old story of mine.
1. Chapter 1

Release Part 1 

A Sailormoon fan-fiction.

Disclaimer:

These characters are not my creation: Crystal Tokyo, Tsukino Usagi/ Sailor Moon/ Neo-Queen Serenity, Mamoru Chiba/ Tuxedo-Kamen/ King Endymion, Mizuno Ami/ Sailor Mercury, Hino Rei/ Sailor Mars, Kino Makoto/ Sailor Jupiter, Aino Minako/ Sailor Venus, Setsuna Meiou/ Sailor Pluto, Ten'ou Haruka/ Sailor Uranus, Kaiou Michiru/ Sailor Neptune, Tomoe Hotaru/ Sailor Saturn, Oosaka Naru, Nephrite, Umino Gurio, Tasukino Shingo, Chiba Usagi/ Chibi-Usa/ Small Lady and Ellios are the Property of Naoko Takeuchi, Toie Animation, DiC, and others I cannot remember at the moment.

NOTE: This fan-fiction is a responce to another fan-fic of a few years back, "Tsukino Usagi is Dead" by Sarah Lynne Thank you, Sarah, for inspiring me.

Chibi Usa was lost somewhere in her thoughts in the palace gardens of Crystal Tokyo. And she preferred to stay lost.

The day she had dreaded had finally come to pass.

After 1,000 years her greatest fear was coming true.

The Small Lady was being presented as the next ruler of the Crystal Millenium. It wasn't that she was actually taking the throne- at least not yet. And it wasn't that she wasn't ready for the responsibility. She was ready. No, the problems- the fears and nightmares- were not due to her inability to rule the realm. These troubles were personal, on a fundamental level.

Chiba Usagi felt uncomfortable ruling a place that was not .. home. And it was not home. True, the city was the one she was born in. It was the city of her mother and father. Or was it ?

She would be taking over the rule of Crystal Tokyo from her mother.. or so she'd always been told. Or would she?

Was Neo-Queen Serenity her mother ? Her true mother ?

Neo-Queen Serenity was, after all, a lunar being, an alien. Chiba Usagi had been born to a human mother. Chiba Usagi's mother was Tsukino Usagi.

Chibi-Usa had first noticed the changes in her mother after she first came back from 20th-Century Tokyo after fighting the Blackmoon Family and saving her mother, Neo-Queen Serenity. It was in Old Tokyo that Chibi-Usa had first met Tsukino Usagi, the girl who would grow to be her mother. To say that they had problems relating to each other at first would be the epitome of understatement. But, Chibi-Usa had come to see quite a bit in Usagi to admire. Although the klutz certainly had her faults. Crybaby Usagi had a remarkably quick temper (although it would die just as fast as it flared). And, Usagi was not the most-energetic girl in Tokyo. But, these bad traits were more than outweighed by the kindness and fierce loyalty that Usagi had. And, she seemed to have an indescribable perception of the good that was in a person. Most chalked it up to nievity, but Usagi turned out, most times, to be right. And, for some odd reason, Chibi-Usa felt safe around Usagi.

But, eventually, Chibi-Usa had to return home. By this time, she had realized that Tsukino was- indeed- her mother. Part of her (for some reason) hated the thought of re- turning to Crystal Tokyo. But she wanted desperately to see her family again. Besides, the strange feeling that something was still wrong somewhere had not rooted deep in her yet.

It was later, when Neo-Queen Serenity sent her back to Old Tokyo to learn to "make friends" and important discoveries, that Chibi-Usa found out just how much more she resembled Tsukino Usagi than she favoured Neo-Queen Serenity. Although both ladies denied it. Usagi denied it to skirt questions best left unasked. Chibi-Usa denied it because she felt that she had nothing in common with Usagi save bloodties. But time spent with Tsukino Usagi when she wasn't Sailor Moon or Princess Serena proved to Chibi-Usa just how much the two girls were alike.

And that made Chibi-Usa's return to Crystal-Tokyo so much more lonely than it was supposed to become. Usagi was there in body, but not in spirit. It was Neo-Queen Serenity who was there. Always. It was strange. Eerie. To those around her, for the most part, Tsukino Usagi had finally "grown up" into the role she was destined for. The child-like Usagi of the past had faded away, to be replaced by the wise Serenity of today. So it was thought, by most. There were exceptions. There was Chibi-Usa, the "Small Lady". And there was Meiou Setsuma, the Senshi of Time. Sailor Pluto.

Meiou Setstuma was an advisor and defender of Crystal Tokyo. She was an advisor to the queen and the official gaurdian of the Princess. As the last, she was the closest Princess Serenity had come to having a friend. Aside from Hotaru and the children of the Inner Senshi. And, when the Small Lady looked into the eyes of that friend, she saw love and admiration- and sadness. Especially after Chibi-Usa returned from the past that last time.

It was after that time that Princess Usagi started to really notice who exactly was in charge. It took a couple of weeks to really notice it. During this time, Usagi kept quiet to everyone- save Pluto. To Sailor Pluto, Chibi-Usa opened up her darkest worries and her deepest fears. Although this took time. Up until this time, Neo-Queen Serenity had been her daughter's biggest defender and comforter. But now ? Chibi-Usa wasn't sure. And that scared her. Unfortunately, Sailor Pluto never quite answered Chibi-Usa's questions, or soothed her fears. All she would ever say was, "Things are as they should be, Small Lady".

"Small Lady". How Chibi-Usa grew to hate that name !

Days without answers turned to weeks. Weeks turned into months, and months to years. The Crystal Palace became a prison for the Princess, the only escapes being the gardens, her imagination, and her future-court.

As was the custom in the Silver Millenium, Chibi-Usa has been raised around her future advisors and body-guard as they became of age. There was Kino Naoko (Chibi-Jupiter), Aino Kyoto (Chibi-Venus), Hino Yuko (Chib-Mars), and Mizuno Keiko (Chibi-Mercury). There was also the youngest member of court, Tomoe Ikiko (Chibi-Saturn). As time went on, Chibi-Usa came to rely on the future-court as lifelines for her sanity. And the gardens were their "domain".

It was within that domain that Chibi-Usa was able to pour out her heart. After 1,000 years, there was alot of hurt to pour out. Not that it was poured out every day. Many days were spent in happy momemts. Moments in which girls could just be girls, and ladies be ladies. And Chibi-Usa could be Chiba Usagi. Chiba Usagi could, at times, let herself, at least, believe she could be a normal child- a gawky, gangling girl with tantrums, dreams, daydreams, and a caring heart. Just like her mom. Just like Tsukino Usagi.

She would try not to remember Usagi that much in front of her freinds. For her court tended to worry about her too much, anyway. They needed a cheerful monarch, a playful princess. But, that was the problem. That was Usagi. That wasn't Serenity, and Princess Usagi knew it.

So did the other Princesses. They could see the strain on Usagi. And, this meant that they tried to stay on their best behavior. Because, when any of the other Princesses had a problem, Chibi-Usa would just add their's to her's. This was not good for Usagi, and everyone knew it, although Chibi-Usa did tend to temporarily discard her own troubles to care for her friends. So, all the Princesses were used to guarding Chibi-Usa's world, to verying degrees.

The best- and everybody agreed on this- were Kino Naoko and Mizuno Keiko, the most-protective "Akita" of the Princess. The others guessed that this was because of their mothers coming from broken homes. Even after 1,000 years, Kino Makoto and Mizuno Ami still treasured the friendship and family that they had found because of Tsukino Usagi. And the Princesses of Jupiter and Mercury had passed on those lessons on loyalty well.

The other girls were also loyal. Hino Yuko was as close to Chibi-Usagi as her mother, Hino Rei, was to Usagi and Serenity. Yes, at times even the Princess of Mars spoke of Usagi and Serenity as two distinct individuals. And, this scared the mystic. And Aino Kyoto understood the Princess' troubles. Aino Minako knew about seperate lives. The Princess of Venus had also been Sailor Venus- and before that Sailor V. But she had been around Neo-Queen Serenity since she was Tsukino Usagi. Certainly, she would have same the signs of the conflict that Chibi-Usa feared. And then, there was Tomoe Ikiko. Her mother had grown up with Chibi-Usa. And had listened to her crying some nights, right after she returned from the past. And Tomoe Hotaru was not only Sailor Saturn, the "Dark Messiah", but had also been Mistress 9, Herald of Phaoroh 90. So, she understood the dark pathways and Chibi-Usa's fears. But Princess Saturn's duties were to her Sovereign. So all she could do was watch, and advise her daughter to do the same.

And as the Day of Presentation approached, all the Princesses watched, and waited.. and prayed.

To be continued in.  
Part 2


	2. Chapter 2

ReleaseRelease Part 2

A Sailormoon fan-fiction. Disclaimer: These characters are not my creation: Crystal Tokyo, Tsukino Usagi/ Sailor Moon/ Neo-Queen Serenity, Mamoru Chiba/ Tuxedo-Kamen/ King Endymion, Mizuno Ami/ Sailor Mercury, Hino Rei/ Sailor Mars, Kino Makoto/ Sailor Jupiter, Aino Minako/ Sailor Venus, Setsuna Meiou/ Sailor Pluto, Ten'ou Haruka/ Sailor Uranus, Kaiou Michiru/ Sailor Neptune, Tomoe Hotaru/ Sailor Saturn, Oosaka Naru, Nephrite, Umino Gurio, Tasukino Shingo, Chiba Usagi/ Chibi-Usa/ Small Lady and Ellios are the Property of Naoko Takeuchi, Toie Animation, DiC, and others I cannot remember. NOTE: This fan-fiction is a responce to another fan-fic, "Tsukino Usagi is Dead" by Sarah Lynne Thank you, Sarah, for inspiring me.

As preparations were being made in the Grand Ballroom, Chibi-Usa hid herself in the loneliest part of the gardens. She had made her way here to make a decision, and she hoped no one would find her yet. Sailor Pluto was waiting for her.

"How goes your preparations, Small Lady ?" Pluto asked.

"Setsuna," Chibi-Usa said flatly, "you, as much as any other, should realize how I despise that name !"

"It is the name your mother gave you." Pluto said.

"I know." Usa sighed. "And I oftened wondered why? Why does.. okaasan.. Fear the name 'Usagi' so much?"

"You cannot run from destiny, Small Lady." Pluto said matter-of-factly. "This is the best way."

"When seen from a safe distance," added Chibi-Usa, "it seems best. But then, from a safe distance, the true dangers can't be seen."

"But the path you've taken has made you stronger !" Pluto reminded Chibi-Usa, a bit too-pointedly.  
"Only those parts it hasn't killed." Chibi-Usa said coldly. "I'll see you at the ceremony."

"Do what you feel is best, then!" Pluto said.

"I shall. Good bye. Sayonara, Meioh-Hime."

Chibi-Usa turned sharply and walked away quickly from the Gaurdian of Time. She would show no tears for Sailor Pluto. Not today. And nevermore. The tears that were shed were those of Setsuna. She knew what would come. And she had done nothing to stop it. Nothing for over a thousand years.

And now, she would reap the reward of her works.

Ikiko met Chibi-Usa as she emerged out of the garden. "It is time", she told Usagi.

"Hai", Chibi-Usa whispered in a shaky tone. "Is everything ready ?" she asked.

"It is." Ikiko said to try to calm the Princess. "I saw Pluto from the shadows. What did the Time-Witch want ?" Tomoe Ikiko never did mince words. The Chibi-Court knew her feelings about Pluto well:

"The Gaurdian of Time is the perfect propagandist for thoes who wish things as they are. 'It is fated'." Ikiko would say. "As my mother was 'fated' to host that parasite Mistress 9 ? As it was 'fated' for my grandfather to play host to Pharoah 90 ? A time traveler COULD have changed things ! COULD have stopped jiji's experiment. But, no. It was 'fated'."

It was a hard accusation for many to hear, but one the Princess and the Chibi-Court agreed with. There were parts of Chibi-Usa that, as she had told the Senshi of Time, were now dead, buried in the hardest of rock. Chibi-Usa was surprised to find any part of her- self that was still alive. Parts that were still able to care. She was certain the inno- cent part of her had long-since withered, although it surprised her to still cry over it's grave.

"Usagi! Are you alright ?" Naoko asked, as Keiko stared into her eyes. Kyoto and Yuko sat nervously at Usagi's side.

"Iie.. Hai ! I am alright." Chibi-Usa slowly crawled back from the graveyard of her soul. She wiped the tears away. "Just.. memories. Ghosts.. of what could have been."

"Baka !" Yuko said to no one in particular. "We should have BEEN in the garden! We should have intercepted Setsuna !" Tears were coming from her eyes.

"Iie, Yuko-chan !" Chibi-Usa said. "She would have found me at another place. It does not matter, now. After tonight, none of the Queen's Senshi will ever bother me again."

"You have a plan, Chibi-Usa ?" Keiko asked.

"Hai!" Chibi-Usa answered. "They expect me to just fall in line, to continue The Crystal Millenium in a nice unbroken line. But, I have other plans." She looked to her fellow-conspirators.

"You DO realize," Chibi-usa asked the other Princesses, "you'll more than likely be fighting your own mothers?"

"Some of us will." Kyoto said. "Mom's Captain of the Inner Senshi !I know I'll face her, Whatever the problems, Mom's place is gaurding the Queen."

"I know my Mom !" Yuko said. "She's stuck by Serenity for centuries. She'll stick by her now. Especially if it appears the Queen's life is endangered."

"I don't want it to come to that !" Chibi-Usa cried. "But my mom MUST be freed at LEAST one more time ! Keiko ? Naoko ? What of you ?"

"My mother will be a peacemaker as long as possible, I think." Keiko said silently. "But. Her place has always been by her Queen." Naoko nodded in agreement.

"My mother and I know what must be done." Ikiko stated.

"Hai", Chibi-Usa said. "Then we must be ready to move. Fast." She whispered. "Okaasan, tonight you shall be freed from your torment!"

Sailors Mercury and Jupiter were talking in the hall outside the Fire-Room of Sailor Mars. The Priestess had felt uneasy about the day of the Ceremony for some time. And she had spent the entire morning in meditation. She had done several fire-readings over the past few days. The findings were all the same. There would be trouble during the ceremony. And it centered on Serenity and Usagi. All three Senshi knew the reasons behind the trouble. All had dealt with the same things themselves. Those of the Silver Millenium were long- lived, although they were not immortal. The inhabitants of Earth, in contrast, were rela- tively frail. But, frail or strong, each spirit was an individual.

"Jupiter ?" Sailor Mercury asked, "How have you been able to share this world with Makoto ? And stay so calm through the centuries ?"

The Senshi of Jupiter looked into the pleading eyes of the Princess of Mercury. " I am lucky. Makoto has always been a sister to me- and a friend. She has never been afreid of standing up for herself, of facing the uncertainties we face. But, she has also known that I am needed here. So, Makoto has been willing to stay nearby, to help Naoko and I. What of you and Ami ?"

The Senshi of Mercury sighed lightly, letting fall a tiny tear. "She is afraid, and hides from our world. Where others only saw shyness, I saw terror. Usagi saw it, too. I think. So, when my time of dominance came, she willingly retreated. Neither Keiko nor I can get her out into the sunlight. And we have tried. I have tried. I still try. But she stays- blanketed in her coccoon. Where she feels safe.

"I am now afreid to even try to coax her. Mizuno Ami has become a delicate crystal. One I am afreid to touch, lest it shatter. In truth, I seriously doubt I could ever help her. Only Usagi could do that. And now she's gone."

Jupiter stared in dibelief. "Ami-chan does not even know about Keiko !!" "Iie. She knows." Mercury said softly. "Keiko was that last bit of happiness she allowed herself. But, when she found there were none to share her joy- no Usagi, no Rei- she withdrew. Only rarely does she peek out. Then, she retreats again to the shadows. Retreats to the womb. And cries. The sadness she feels is mine, too. But not the refuge."

"You feel helplessness, Mercury. I feel rage." Mercury and Jupiter turned to the Senshi of Mars. "Yes. Rage. Rei's spirit is very alive in me, always asking 'why?' Why the senshi still look after Neo-Queen Serenity for the sake of the Crystal Millenium when the Kingdom is killing our Queen and friend ? Why we have kept the Small Lady a prisoner of her own fears and loneliness ? And why we haven't asked ourselves 'why'?"

"All important questions !" Said the voice from the shadows. "Why haven't you asked them of yourselves ? Hotaru constantly asks 'Why ?'. Even more than me." "Sailor Saturn !" Sailor Jupiter exclaimed. "How long have you been here ?" "Long enough." Said the Dark Senshi. "It is amazing what you can learn in the shadows. Our daughters are preparing themselves for the Presentation. We best assume our stations. The other Senshi will not be as understanding as we to what our daughters must do."

"Do they know ?" Mercury asked. "How ?"

"Pluto went to speak to Chibi-Usa in the garden, to try to get her to accept her fate."

"DAMN !" Mercury cried out. "Why does that bitch have to bring the Old Ways into this? It was the ways of the first Millenia that LED to this misery ! I guess Serenity now knows ?"

"Have no doubt of that !" Mars replied.

"Has anyone ever thought," mused Saturn, "that the Senshi of Time as a position in the Courts was a joke thought up by a particularly SADISTIC ancestor ?"

To be continued in.  
Part 3 


	3. Chapter 3

Release Part 3

A Sailormoon fan-fiction.

Disclaimer: These characters are not my creation: Crystal Tokyo, Tsukino Usagi/ Sailor Moon/ Neo-Queen Serenity, Mamoru Chiba/ Tuxedo-Kamen/ King Endymion, Mizuno Ami/ Sailor Mercury, Hino Rei/ Sailor Mars, Kino Makoto/ Sailor Jupiter, Aino Minako/ Sailor Venus, Setsuna Meiou/ Sailor Pluto, Ten'ou Haruka/ Sailor Uranus, Kaiou Michiru/ Sailor Neptune, Tomoe Hotaru/ Sailor Saturn, Oosaka Naru, Nephrite, Umino Gurio, Tasukino Shingo, Chiba Usagi/ Chibi-Usa/ Small Lady and Ellios are the Property of Naoko Takeuchi, Toie Animation, DiC, and others I cannot remember.

NOTE: This fan-fiction is a responce to another fan-fic, "Tsukino Usagi is Dead" by Sarah Lynne Thank you, Sarah, for inspiring me.

The Ceremony was well under way and the Presentation was just starting as Chibi-Usa, in her Royal gown, ascended the stairs to the throne. The steps leading to the dais felt like a condemned-prisoner's last taste of life. She reached the top, where stood her future Court. Neo-Queen Serenity and her Court stood in a line behind the thrones. The entire court was present, including King Endymion and the Princesses of Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. The lines were drawn. Chibi-Usa drew in her breath. She sat on the throne. The royal tiara was lowered to her brow.

"NO !" Chibi-Usa cried out as she grabbed the tiara and tossed it to the floor of the ballroom. "I will NOT", she screamed, "rule a realm of lies and mistrust !" The Senshi of Venus, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto moved closer to quell any disturbence. The assemb- lage in the ballroom panicked, the Future Court moved into position, and the Reemaining Senshi filled in the circle around the combatants.

"Traitorous BRAT !" Sailor Neptune ran to Chibi-Usa to stop her. Sailor Uranus then drew her sword. The guests cautously made their way to the exit. Sailor Uranus raised her sword manacingly to Chibi-Usa. The Princess slowly raised her outstretched arms. As she did so, her Silver Crystal appeared to move from her breast to her hands. "You seek a traitor, Uranus ? I will produce one."

Sailor Venus was moving toward Chibi-Usa, when her way was suddenly blocked by her daughter. "Kyoto! Move aside", she warned.

"Okaasan." Kyoto stepped closer. "I cannot. If we wait for the 'right time' for the truth to be spoken, it will never be! And we, our friends, our family, will DOOM ourselves!"

"I see the traitor before me!" Neptune said. "Yield... or DIE!"

In Chibi-Usa's hands suddenly appeared the lost-lost Moon Wand. "If I yield,  
Sailorneptune, then, we will all die! Hai." She then turned to Sailoruranus:

"There is treachery here, Uranus, that you and Neptune never SEE! It does not attack the Kingdom. It wounds far more intimately. And the damage is FAR more fatel."

"Enough riddles!" Neptune screamed. She rushed to Chibi-Usa... and was met by the glaive of Saturn.

"You will go no farther." The Dark Senshi's gaze met Neptune's.

"You are a part of this conspiracy, also, Saturn?" Neptune asked.

"Hai." "Small-Lady!" Endymion demanded. "What is the meaning of this!"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" Chibi-Usa sceamed through her tears. "My name is Chiba Usagi! REMEMBER? And as for what this means, OPEN YOUR EYES AND LOOK !" She quieted down a bit. "Look at me ! I am Chiba Usagi, daughter of the woman Tsukino Usagi. A woman I have not seen since I met her 1000 years ago! A woman who was banished to Kami-Sama-only-knows- where ! And I have lived in loneliness.. AND deception.. ever SINCE ! Ellios, the King of Illusion and Protector of Dreams, has tried to help me through my darkest times, but I've become a poison to him." Chibi-Usa cried out again. "A deadly POISON!"

The Court and audience were hushed, listening to a Princess' tears. "I know", Chibi-Usa continued, "of the Dark Lady. The Senshi say I am not to blame. That she is not me. That is a lie. I did not summon her. I just gave birth to her. She IS me ! She is all my fears, all my loneliness, all my rage- in one cancer! I do not love her, do not want her, and- I hope- do not NEED her! But my pain COULD call her back one day!"

"I.." Endymion choked, "did not know."

"Of COURSE you did not know! We are STRANGERS! My family left me 1000 years ago!" Chibi-Usa cried. "I just want to see my family again." Her voice grew soft. "Just once more." She raised her hands high.

"MOON HEALING..."

"WAIT !" Neptune cried. "Such powers have not been wielded in a long time! And never by the Princess ! What if we.. ?"

"If the crystal explodes," Neo-Queen Sereneity weeped, "at least we shall all be at peace !" She looked at her daughter. "Sma.. Usa-chan! Do you remember why I sent you back to the Senshi in the past?"

"To train." Chibi-Usa said.

"And ?" Serenity continued.

Chibi-Usa answered slowly. "To.. make friends ? For they would prove important."

"And, Usa-chan, who did you become friends with ?" Neo-Queen Serenity asked. "Who ?" Chibi-Usa asked. "Ahhh... Tomoe Hotaru..."

"And ?" Neo-Queen Serenity continue.

Chibi-Usa answered with assuredness, and maybe a bit of revelation. "Tsukino Usagi-Kaasan!"

"Hai." Serenity answered. "A friend I lost long ago. I make a terrible mistake long ago. In trying to save this world, I robbed Usagi of hers. And, in so doing, destroyed my own. I was never able to speak to my sister-spirit again! So, I used you to try to reach her. She will not speak to me. Maybe she will speak to you. Use the Ginziuzhou!"

Chibi-Usa raised the Moon Wand high.

"MOON HEALING ACTIVATION!"

The platform on which the Courts stood was awash with light. When it faded, where stood 16 people there were now 27: Sailor Mercury and Mizuno Ami, Sailor Venus and Aino Minako, Sailor Mars and Hino Rei, Sailor Jupiter and Kino Makoto, Sailor Saturn and Tomoe Hotaru, Sailor Uranus and Te'nou Haruka, Sailor Neptune and Kaiou Michiru; Sailor Pluto; Neo-Queen Serenity, Sailor Moon, and Tsukino Usagi; King Endymion, Tuxedo-Kamen, and Chiba Momaru; and Chibi-Usa, Mizuno Keiko, Aino Kyoto, Hino Yuko, Kino Naoko, and Tomoe Ikiko.

The first move after the mystic light faded was made by Tsukino Usagi. Usagi collapsed onto the stage. "So.. weak.." She gasped. "Must.. rest.. a little.."

Usagi slowly closed her eyes and her breath grew fainter. When Neo-Queen Serenity reached down fopr her, Usagi kicked at her in a sudden burst of energy. "Get AWAY, you PARASITE !"

"No." The Princess whispered, then screamed. "NO ! Kaasan ! Don't leave me again!"

"Usagi ? USAGI !" Mizuno Ami jumped to life. She ran out of the protective embrace of her daughter and sister-spirit as what seemed a million memories flooded her mind's eye.

"Get BACK, Gaijin !" Sailor Neptune barked, pushing Kaiou Michiru out of harm's way as she glared at Mizuno Ami. "You will NOT harm Serenity !"

"Serenity can go to HELL !" Ami screamed through her tears. "It was NOT Serenity that made friends with me so long ago. It was Tsukino USAGI ! Usagi made me feel loved and needed ! I didn't know who Neo-Queen Serenity WAS for a long time.. but I knew Usagi. USAGI was who I fought with! Usagi was who I walked through HELL for many times over ! Usagi ? Come on ! You'll be all right !"

"Ami speaks for me, too !" Rei stated. "Mars may have the fire power, but ANYONE makes a move to hurt Usagi, ands I'll toss their sack of broken bones onto the FLOOR "  
"No one speaks to the Senshi that way !" Uranus said. Ten'ou Haruka placed her hand on Uranus' shoulder. "Hino-san just did, and with good reason !" She looked into Uranus' eyes. "I let you take command so long ago and do your job. 'It was the only way', you said. But, Usagi.. yes, Usagi !.. taught differently ! Things are different now ! The enemy is not without. It is within.. US ! WE are killing ourselves ! And for what ?" Something in Haruka's told Uranus that she spoke the truth.

"You know Haruka speaks the truth, too, Neptune!" Michiru's voice was weary. "We all die in this prolonged war. Let us rest."

"Usako!" Momaru said. "You will be all right. Just rest a bit!" He gently held the head of the Girl- no, the woman- he'd given his heart wholly to so long ago.

"What is wrong ?" Sailor Moon asked, in a whisper. "Usagi wanted her freedom, like me, but is she so weak now the she will die from it ? What of me then ?" She sought out the protective embrace of Tuxedo-Kamen.

"NOOOOOOOOooooooooooooooo !" Princess Usagi screamed. "What have I done ? Have I released my mom .. to death ?" She fell to the floor of the platform. "Okaasan ? OKAASAN ? HAHAUE!"

"I.. I'm here.. Usagi..." Tsukino Usagi spoke weakly. "Arigato.. for.. freeing me.. Chibi Usa.."

"USAGI ! Don't go ! Don't die !" Neo-Queen Serenity cried. 

"Get away from HER !" Sailor Moon screamed. "Usagi is right !You ar a PARASITE. YOU shut us out ! YOU denied us! After you tried and failed to turn us into you ! So get AWAY from her- away from US !" Sailor Moon moved protectively towards Tsukino Usagi.

"How DARE you talk to your Queen that way !" King Endymion moved against Sailor Moon- only to be SLAPPED down by Tuxedo-Kamen !

"Endymiom ! Believe me when I say if I had the room I'd throw every rose at my desposal at you !"

"Quiet !" Sailor Jupiter commanded. "All of you !" Kino Makoto swept around Chibi-Usa and the Chibi-Court, checking them before moving towards Ami, Rei, and Usagi. The Chibi- Court was reassured by the warm smile and soft touch.

"Quiet ? Quiet ? Why SHOULD we be !" Aino Minako finally spoke up. "We have been quiet too long ! And what has it gotten us ?" She moved towards Neo-Queen Serenity. "I'll tell you what it's gotten us ! Glimpses of our daughters.. strangers to us ! It's gotten us loneliness that would make DEATH bearable ! And all for WHAT ? For a Kingdom of Crystal as cold as Dante's Hell !" She turned quickly toward Sailor Venus. "Is that what you expected ? Is that what you wanted as you waited to take over ? Because that's EXACTLY what you GOT!"

The Senshi were stunned into silence.

"I.. I.. never knew." Endymion weakly stammered.

"Of course we didn't know !" Sailor Saturn said as she leveled her glaive. "The only one who knew would have been the Gaurdian of the Time Gates !" She pointed her glaive accus- ingly at Sailor Pluto. " 'There is always Fate', they say !" She walked toward Pluto. "There is always the big picture to look at. Never mind the small things like people that are often ground up and swept away. The Senshis of Time are not supposed to worry about that."

"Or is it", Tomoe Hotaru continued, walking down the stairs to the audience then turning back around towards Pluto, "that they know no more off the future then we? Can they see the future at all ? Is the future one path ? Is it many ? Certainly, if it were one path called 'fate', then any road we took would lead to the same point. And, then, maybe we could miss some of those dangerous spots. Certainly, the Senshi of Time would be considerate enough to at least WARN us about the bumps and curves ! BUT ! Methinks they BLINDLY lead us through a MAZE !"

"SHUT UP !" Pluto cried at the top of her voice. "You have no IDEA of what you speak of ! Do you think I WANTED this to happen ? Do you think I WANTED this pain ? The job of the Senshi of Time ? We have RULES to follow, just as you ! We have to see the great plans though, no matter the hurt ! To do otherwise is treason !"

"Treason to who, Sailor Pluto ?" Tomoe Ikiko asked. "Treason to who ? Treason to a long-ago age that's now dead ? Or treason to a family that's still here ?"

"Please, everyone !" Neo-Queen Serenity pleaded. "This must STOP !" Serenity turned to Tsukino Usagi. " Usagi, my sister, are you alright ?"

"Iie", Usagi replied weakly, "I am tired. So many fights." She slowly started to drift away.

"Oh, Usagi! My sister!" Serenity cried. "Will you forgive me? I should not have locked you away!"

"I forgive !" Tsukino Usagi smiled. "C..can you forgive me, Serenity, for.. hating.. you so much ?"

"Hai." Serenity smiled. "I was a fool to try to make you me."

"Chibi-Usa.." Usagi called out. "Look after your mother when I'm gone."

"Nani ?" Chibi-Usa creied out. "NANI ?"

"Usagi !" Ami cried out "IIE !"

"You can't die !" Rei pleaded. "Not yet !"

"Rei-chan.." Usagi softly pleaded. "I am old.. and tired. My daughter is grown. My family is gone. Let me sleep. Onegai? The fighting is over."

"Usa-chan !" Makoto cried. "It can not end like this !"

"She is right, Usagi !" A voice came from beside the platform. "It can not end like this. There is much to do."

"Shingo ?" Tsukino Usagi called out.

"Shingo-haku!" Chibi-Usa whispered low.

"Hai !" Tsukino Shingo appeared at Tsukino Usagi's side, stroking his sister's hand to reassure her. "You are still needed here, Usagi ! There is still MUCH to do ! Chibi Usa is an adult, hai ! But, she has not ben allowed to grow. She is Bonsai. She must be loosed."

"Hai." Usagi cried. "I miss you so much demo! Kaasan! Tousan! And.."

"Usagi-chan," came another voice, "we'll still be here !"

"Naru-chan ?" Usagi cried softly.

"Hai. We've always been here. Waiting for you to return like the jasmine ! Winter has been here long enough ! Come out, Usagi." Naru smiled.

"I miss you so much !" Tsukino Usagi cried.

"We will always be here. Just call out." Another voice called out.

"Gurio ?" Usagi asked. "You're here, too ?"

"You would be surprised at how many are here for you, Tsukino-sama."

"Nephrite ?" Usagi called out faintly.

"NEPHRITE !" Endymion, Tuxedo-Kamen, and Mamoru spun around.

"Konnichi-wa, Endymion ! Greetings, Tuxedo-Kamen and Chiba Mamoru !" The General offered a salute. " I am glad to see you three are getting along, expect for that slap a while ago." Endymion and Tuxedo-Kamen looked at each other, and then down at the floor, uneasily. "Do not be ashamed, brothers ! Misunderstandings happen !" Nephrite chuckled a bit, then grew a silent as a stone. "Just don't let it happen again ! Mamoru-san, I look up to you ! You seem to have Sailor Moon's job of shepherding the other two inside of you. And you seem to fare better than she !"

Nephrite turned to Sailor Moon and smiled. "I pray that job will now be made easier."

The ghostly General then turned to Ami, Rei, Makoto, Minako, and Hotaru. "You are looking well, Mizuno-san, considering what you have lived through. You showed more courage this day than you realize. Hino-san ! You have done your grandfather proud many times over this day. Stay by Usagi. Kino-san ! Aino-san ! Tomoe-san ! I am glad we never met in the last life, although part of me is sad. Your devotion to Tsukino-sama shows well upon you ! Watch over her."

Nephrite then turned to Chibi-Usa and her court. "Ah !" He snapped to attention. "Your Highness ! You have done well these past centuries ! Your caring and bravery will nurse the Crystal Millenium well !"

Chibi-Usa bowed and blushed. "Arigato, Nephrite-sama ! But, I do not know about the Kingdom ! I still have an unfinished task."

"Ah !" Nephrite said. "Your family. Hai. But it will be finished soon enough. And, when you finally take the responsibility of rule, you will do well. Especially," he gestured to her Court, "with such worthy advisors !" Keiko, Yuko, Naoko, Kyoto, and Ikiko blushed.

Nephrite bowed and took his leave. Naru, Gurio, and Shingo rose to take their leave.

"Remember, Usagi !" Shingo said. "We're always around."

"Just call out !" Naru smiled.

"Arigato, Naru-chan." Tsukino Usagi smiled.

As the ghosts vanished, Tsukino Usagi tried to rise to hug her daughter. The strain of the years, however, prevailed upon her to lay back down.

Chibi-Usa went over and picked Usagi up gently.

"Arigato, Chibi-Usa ! I will be alright now." Usagi smiled and kissed Chibi-Usa. Then she turned to embrace Neo-Queen Serenity, and then Sailor Moon, like the dear friends she always hoped she had but feared she'd lost. "Chibi-Usa ! I am tired. Would you put us back together? Onegai?"

"Hai." Chibi-Usa smiled softly.

"Before you do," SAilor Mercury requested, "may I ask one thing of the Lady Mizuno ?"

"What is it ?" Ami asked.

Sailor Mercury looked into Ami's eyes. How many times had she wanted to search through them these past thousand years ?

"Do not run and hide so much, OK ? Nephrite is right. You have more strength and courage than you think you have. Those qualities are not all mine !"

"Hai", Ami said wiping away a tear. "Alright." The two women embraced.

Chibi-Usa raised the Moon-Wand high then arched it around her.

"MOON HEALING ACTIVATION !"

A dazzling white light again filled the room.

After the Presentation had ended, and halfway through the Reception, Neo-Queen Serenity bowed to the fatigue of the day. "I.. WE !.. are tired, I think I'll go to bed early." She turned to her daughter. "Usagi, I am sorry.. about today, about the past thousand years.. but I hope this day can be a new start. And, who knows ? Maybe, one day, Ellios will be able to return !"

"Okaasan !" Chibi-Usa threw her arms around her mother and cried.

"Hush ! Hush, my Usa ! Things will turn out bright for you. I just hope," Neo-Queen Serenity said, rather darkly. "I can live to see it."

"Nani ?" Chibi-Usa looked up with a sudden touch of fear.

"You heard Usagi. The years of fear and loneliness and anger have taken there toll. Not only on Tsukino Usagi, but on me and Sailor Moon, too. I am still strong enough to take over for Usagi. But I will not. I placed that millstone of loneliness around Usagi's neck. I should be there to answer for it when it is taken off. But, until then, we shall be here for each other. And for you."

Mother and daughter embraced ounce more before Serenity disappeared to her room.

Chibi-Usa turned to Sailor Pluto. "Why ?"

The Senshi of Time and Revelation remained silent.

"Still not answering my questions ? Fine. Why should you start answering them now ?"

"You have your answers," Sailor Pluto said. "The scene played out as it was supposed to." Pluto continued. " Hotaru was right. The road of time is dark, and we are forebidden by rules far older than we to interfere."

"Not even to warn ?" Chibi-Usa asked accusingly.

Again there was silence.

"Well," said Chibi-Usa. "You will not have to worry about the 'Rules' of Time and Fate much longer. When my mother steps down from the throne, you will be released from your duties."

"Just answer this, to yourself if no one else," Chibi-Usa finished, "Why did the truth have to wait so long to be revealed ? Why ?"

The sound of retreating footsteps haunted Sailor Pluto.

SAYONARA 


End file.
